ITV signs on for The Garden’s “Saved,” “Pest House”

UK broadcaster ITV has ordered two factual programs from London-based indie The Garden Productions, including a series on local heroes and a one-off on domestic pets. (Pictured: Pest House host George McGavin)

UK broadcaster ITV has ordered two factual programs from London-based indie The Garden Productions, including a series on local heroes and a one-off on domestic pests.

The factual series Saved presents stories about extreme heroism on the part of ordinary people. Using both interviews and dramatic reconstructions, the cases detailed in the 4 x 60-minute program include those of a kayaker swept out to sea and ultimately saved by a surfer, and a teenager involved in a serious car crash who is pulled out by a passing motorist.

Saved is exec produced by The Garden’s David Wise and series produced and directed by Jonathan Rudd. The series was commissioned by ITV’s director of factual Richard Klein and controller of factual Jo Clinton-Davis.

The second commission is the one-off, hour-long doc Pest House (working title) – a multi-camera effort in which entomologist George McGavin (pictured above) purposely infests a house with domestic pests such as rats, cockroaches, mice, moths and bed bugs in order to examine how the insects survive alongside the house’s human inhabitants.

Pest House is exec produced by The Garden’s Jenny Byrom and was commissioned by Klein.

“Saved takes a fresh approach to some very emotional and gripping human dramas, while Pest House reveals the incredible world of the pests that live alongside us,” said Wise, head of programs for The Garden, in a statement.

“The Garden has a reputation for making beautifully crafted and unique factual programming and both of these titles continue this tradition,” he said.

ITV’s Klein added: “Everybody has asked themselves ‘What would I do?’ when faced with certain situations, and in Saved we find out. Saved is all about ordinary people in extraordinary moments, behaving with amazing bravery.

“Pest House is a bit of fun – what happens when nature is allowed into your house and takes over?” he added. “The results are really rather surprising.”